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He would do it all over again.
As an infamous Yucatec gang leader and notorious mobster, Attuma never ran across a regret in his life. He had no room for self-doubt.
Even his greatest mistakes made him the man he was today.
So when he caught up working with W’kabi, a crooked businessman who Attuma barely tolerated. He shrugged but didn’t regret it. The man was greedy and weak, he'd be dead or in prison by this time next year.
But,
When he caught W’kabi putting his hands on his beautiful wife, Okoye. He regretted not looking into him sooner.
Attuma traveled to California to meet W’kabi at a party with the promise of discussing 'business matters' and ran into Okoye, in her beautiful and simple blue gown that seemed to sparkle a little less than her eyes did, he starts a conversation with her and learns about her various degrees and how she’s very interested in finance. He gives her his card so he can pick her brain more. He doesn’t regret it.
"I hope to speak with your husband soon, but I must say it's been a pleasure speaking with you, Miss Okoye."
"The pleasure's all mine... Thank you for listening to me, I know how I can blather on."
"Not at all, your input is very insightful. I might even go as far as saying, you could be very useful in a business setting. Here's my card, with my personal number. Don't hesitate to contact me and I'll be reaching out to you very soon."
"I'd like that." Attuma rests a warm hand on the small of her back and excuses himself, smirking when he notices how a shiver overtakes her skin.
Okoye was an intelligent and deeply underestimated woman who had been belittled to settle for a life as a housewife when she married W’kabi. She was kind, beautiful, and smart; Attuma falls for her easily. He doesn’t regret it.
They quickly begin a wild love affair.
He'd swoop her up when W'kabi was away or at the time when he was in town under the guise of getting dinner. When they lay together in bed, she tells him the abuse she endures is only verbal and temporary and she’ll leave him eventually. Find herself a job and a good lawyer without any help and leave him. But she doesn’t because when she tries to leave W’kabi, he threatens her parents and her family. Their rendezvous always ends with tender kisses and broken hearts promises to be together forever soon. Promises that things will be different someday.
Attuma notices the bruises, first on her arm, then on her back, and parts of her chest. He regrets not speaking up even if she begged him not to. She begins to avoid him, so He follows her personally. Trailing her obsessively whenever she leaves the house or comes home, he’s watching her.
When he finally corners her alone, in a parking garage, Attuma manages to pull off her expensive shades, despite her pleading with him to 'let it go and let her handle it', only to find a black eye.
It infuriates him when he goes to comfort her, Okoye is ashamed and embarrassed; she won’t even meet his eye. She cries and says it’s her fault…
"He was drunk and breaking things! I was being petty, I brought you up... I told him I'd leave him for good soon... He went crazy. He… He hurt … me." His blood chills as he puts the pieces together and Okoye is inconsolable.
Attuma holds her as she sobs and if she was in the right mind, she might have said he was eerily calm. In a way that should've been alarming.
He drops her off at his rented condo and puts her to sleep for a few hours. When she wakes, in the early hours of the evening, he is still not back.
Immediately upon his arrival, she shoots from where she paced in the bedroom and went to interrogate him. He's visibly numb and covered in scratches and blood. His eyes are dark and dull, and as he wraps himself around her body as she tries to get him to speak to her. Attuma is deathly muted, pressing kisses to her forehead. Her murmurs into her hair.
"I did it, I did it all for love... I did it with nothing. My… hands.”
"A-Are you okay? Are you... on something?"
"No, I… I’m sober." he had expected himself to lose composure with something in his system. But he hadn't waited. W'kabi had been in front of him and he had taken action...“I promised you I’d do it.”
It is fear and confusion that brings tears to Okoye's eyes, not sadness. The feeling of dread and relief mix and rest themselves over her brain. "Attuma what... did you do?"
"I did it for us. I did it for you."
Okoye knows she should be disgusted with Attuma. Maybe even be afraid of him. But she can't bring herself to do anything but love him.
Fear is wisdom in the face of danger. And here she is not in danger, in front of him she is safe.
While washing himself of W'kabi's blood and his own, He makes a connection in the blaring quiet of his mind: In a tube, blood is as bright as any field-born poppy. But here, on his knuckles and running down his arms, it's dark and dull; it is not what he expected.
He doesn't regret it.
After the initial shock, he is fine. He has taken a life before but this felt different. It felt personal.
W’kabi is found dead in his mansion the very next day. Strangled to death.
His eyes were bloodshot and blood filled his throat and lungs from where he was apparently punched several times in the ribs and stomach, causing him to bleed out. He doesn’t regret it.
Okoye was 'at lunch' with her close friend, Shuri when her husband's body is believed to have been murdered. Time of death is ruled to be too close to when she is seen in public, hiding bruises under long sleeve sweaters in April. Okoye is quickly removed from being seen as a suspect.
She discovered not long after that that she is pregnant with Attuma’s child and they elope, making headlines since Attuma is a widely recognized untouchable figure of organized crime, the public speculation does nothing to deter them. This causes a prime investigator, Valerie, to become suspicious of a crime of passion and she makes it her mission to indict Attuma for the murder of Wkabi. But there’s not much evidence that isn’t circumstantial.
Shuri is a very influential political power who can cover things up or dig shit up to be thrown. She hates W’kabi, always has and when Attuma comes to her with evidence of his violence against Okoye, she agrees to help him as much as she can and says she can assist him in covering things up to break down the prosecution when the police catch up to him.
Attuma knows he won’t get away with it, he was sloppy and emotional. Careless murder is never successful.
But Shuri has got people everywhere, who will help her get away with anything.
However, upon Attuma’s DNA being found under W’Kabi’s fingernails and scratches found on Attuma's forearms, they have enough to create a case.
Attuma is arrested while he’s with Okoye and some family, walking together in the gardens in public. Shuri had given him a heads-up that he had a warrant out and he had prepared accordingly. Okoye knew beforehand, but it made it all too real when the two detectives approached them.
"Attuma Reyes?" A small crowd of people wandering the square, gave them their attention before some pulled out their phones to record.
Attuma took a deep breath and wiped the smirk off his face before facing the police. "That's me."
"Sir, You are under arrest for the Murder of W'kabi Makeba." His arms were forced behind his back, and two uniformed officers began to read him his rights.
“Attuma! He didn't do it! No, you can’t take him!” His little actress.
Even Namora tapped into her acting skills. "What is the meaning of this? I want to speak to your supervisor!"
"We're just following orders, ma'am. Mr. Reyes has a warrant out and we have to bring him in for questioning."
"You're going to hurt him! Stop shoving him!"
Okoye was held back only by Namora, and he pleaded with his sister to keep an eye on Okoye before he calmly resisted being out into the car. He was massive after all, there's a reason the investigators brought him back up.
“It’s alright, honey. I’m coming back. Don’t worry.” He’s unnaturally calm in handcuffs and gets a few kisses into Okoye before he’s booked. "I'll see you later."
Attuma Reyes is booked, processed, and held without bail, the prosecution calls him at risk of flight and makes sure of it.
His cousin, Namor is the defense attorney who takes the case. W'kabi has no remaining family besides Okoye.
The People of San Jose Vs Attuma Reyes.
The trial becomes a public phenomenon. People have fallen for Attuma and a story is somehow established with the help of the media. Attuma Reyes is the hero who was just saving the love of his life from abuse. He wins the sympathy of the people.
As Attuma’s oldest cousin, Namor has always known his family was in deep shit and only got involved when the law got involved. He was cunning and clever, always looking for a point of weakness to exploit the prosecution. He represents his cousin with the help of Shuri and gets a plea deal; Guilty of Aggravated Assault and Manslaughter, but Attuma is sentenced to seven years in prison, which is still undoubtedly better than Life. With the opportunity of parole with good behavior.
Throughout the trial, Attuma maintained that he is not remorseful. He insists he did it to get Justice for the women he had taken advantage of. Namor offers to the court that Attuma wasn’t in his right mind.
His sister and accomplice, Namora, takes over the gang and does her best to avenge Attuma by tormenting the cop who put him in prison, so she won’t know peace as long as he’s in there. It’s a family endeavor. Namora has made sure to make a name for the Family, while her brother lies in wait. Serving his time.
The day he’s sentenced, Okoye throws a fit in the courtroom, having to be held back by Shuri and her bodyguard, Ayo.
“No! Don’t take him! Please! He’s all I have!” The judge is hammering her gavel as shouts decorate the room with chaos. “Order! I’ll hold you in contempt of court!”
Attuma finds a way to make himself near her, the handcuffs around his wrists doing nothing to hinder him from pressing his forehead to hers while she leans over the rail, holding his face.
Cameras shutter from paparazzi in the public benches and they know it will be a media event before the day is done.
“I’ll see you soon, sweetheart. Don’t cry. I love you so much.” He’s being pulled by three bailiffs into the back of the courtroom to be processed as a federal prisoner. He kisses her one last time before he’s dragged out.
“I’ll wait for you! Attuma, I’ll wait forever!”
Okoye's words are quoted into a headline and they're cemented in the papers as
The Ride or Die Reyes'
When he walked within the walls of the prison and paraded in front of the prying eyes of inmates; his reputation precedes him. They're all looking for someone new to make their bitch, to get higher on the food chain. Attuma was not that man.
The cell he is placed in is... 'cushier' than the others he had seen, but it was still a prison cell. He had it to himself at least.
Barely eight feet by four. The walls were the same thick grey stone as the dwellings of the hallways, the only source of light being a lamp on a desk, on the wall, there was a barred opening with thick metal bars and no glass. The view was grey with only woods stretching for miles.
As soon as visits are allowed, Okoye is there. Someone will usually accompany her, Namora, Namor, Shuri, Aneka, or anyone.
But She makes it a promise to be there every time, through the glass. Okoye runs up, picks up the phone, and presses a hand to the glass, her knees weakening when he smiled at her like she was a ray of sunshine in an otherwise cold, empty world.
“You’re the only thing keeping me going, Honey.” He pressed his hand against hers. Only a window separated them.
“I’m so sorry, Tuma… This was never supposed to happen!”
“I don’t regret any of it. I just wish I could kiss you…”
“Namor said he can get us face-to-face visits as a part of the deal! And you might be able to see the baby when she comes too! If you’re well behaved…”
“She?” His heart skipped a beat and her face warms so prettily, he knows he looks like a man in love.
Okoye smiles fondly and rubbed her stomach. “It’s a girl, Attuma.”
He is well-behaved for a while, but he’s put in protective custody for a few months while Okoye is pregnant. He is permitted to be by her side while she gives birth and gets to hold his daughter.
Then he had to go back to prison. This time, the tile walls seemed colder, tighter and it was too obvious... the lack. The presence of her absence. It was too haunting to think of how their daughter cried when he was taken away again.
Attuma is getting by quite well in prison. They found out what he did and how brutal the murder was almost immediately. He went in and didn’t have to lay his hands on anyone.
A convict, he was six foot and seven inches tall and almost three hundred pounds. A massive intimidating individual with a record of violence and an affinity for getting away with it. Anyone who saw him made the conclusion at first glance to stand clear of his wrath. It only became a problem when some first-time nervous prisoner decided he was the biggest guy there and tried to shank him.
He disarmed him and almost broke his jaw while choking him to unconsciousness.
No one tried him again after that. Some inmates even took to following him around and doing favors for him in exchange for protection.
He was getting his hair cut in the gymnasium when he was approached by two of the smaller guys in here, sentenced for tax evasion or fraud. Non-violent offenders; white collars who got caught.
"Attuma. I took care of hiding the magz in the yard. But the C.O... the one you said wouldn't be a problem, he was watching me the whole time... I- I'm freaking out a little bit, if they take me out of PC..."
"No one's taking you out of PC, Fitzgerald. I'll handle it."
"If they find out I had contraband, they'll kill me, Attuma!"
"Shut up!" Attuma massaged his temples, bouncing his legs up and down in irritation. "If I say I'm gonna handle it, I'm gonna handle it."
"O- okay."
"Get out of my face. And Stop fucking crying."
Before he knew it, he was running the place.
Okoye is holding up very well. She’s surrounded by his family and hers, finally free from the clutches of W’kabi and his power. She tells Attuma of her new job and how pregnancy is going for her and assures him that she knows that if he could be there, he would.
Everett Ross was a correctional officer who was placed there by Shuri. He gets Attuma conjugal visits, iPhones, food, weapons, cigarettes, porn, and other contraband for him to sell to get himself by.
When Attuma first got to see her face over the iPhone, he was elated. It was unsupervised and private, more so than the damn window visits.
They talked for hours about how he was getting along and how the pregnancy was going for her, and he couldn't help but feel powerless when she was so close to him and yet so far. He wanted to be with her, but he had made his decision.
During one of their first conjugal visits, it’s covered up as an imperative doctor’s visit, and Attuma is taken to a small meeting room in a motel. He is nervous to see Okoye again. He knows he looks different, with tattoos covering his arms and part of his chest, and his face had somewhat hardened... and he’s scared. Attuma is afraid she’ll be afraid of him.
But when they lock eyes as she walks through the door, They’re on each other immediately before Ross can even ask where he should wait for the next two hours.
Okoye finds herself pulled against his body before she can even greet him. She giggles and wraps her arms around his neck when he picks her up like she weighs nothing. She kisses his lips, slow and soft. Savoring the sound they make when they separate.
“Hi, Daddy.”
Attuma smirks and her heart flips. “Hey, Mama.”
“I missed you. You got even bigg- Umph!” Just like that, his fears disappear. She's looking at him the way she had when they first kissed, nothing had changed between them.
The two star-crossed lovers practically devour each other and Attuma is running his hands all over her body, in any place he can reach. Landing a few solid snacks on the ass he’s been dreaming about and jacking off to for months.
“I’m so happy to see you- ooh! Attuma, not there…”
Her inmate swipes a strong arm over a desk by the bed taking everything off of it and ignoring how it shattered in the ground. He placed his lover on the surface and groped her from underneath her sweater.
“Um…” Ross said from behind them, awkwardly clearing his throat. “Sh- should I stay here or… outside?”
Attuma already has Okoye bent over the table and is unbuckling his pants. “You can stay if you want to,” he says over his shoulder as he kisses Okoye breathlessly. “But it’s about to get graphic as shit in here. I promise you that."
With that, Ross swiftly makes his exit, his face red as a tomato when he closes the door, but not before hearing-
“You like that shit, baby? I missed you.” Attuma says, slipping her panties to the side and running his tongue through her lower lips, savoring the taste of her. His fingers quickly replace the pressure inside her and he closed his lips around her clit, sucking it softly.
“I- I missed you too, papa! Oh, fuck! So m- much!” His jumpsuit is at his thighs before she can gather herself and she feels his tip push against the entrance of her dripping cunt before diving in without quarter. Attuma gives her ass a slap and then slide his thumb over her hole, pressing it in and forcing his hips forward, deeper so his tip kissed her cervix with each stroke.
“Throw that ass back, mama. Shit! J- just like that….”
A rough hand on her neck keeps her back arched and has her grasping for nothing on the desk. Attuma holds her hip with a strength that will leave a maroon mark.
He takes a moment to look at her, and admire her closeness. The way sweat beads and collects on her skin, makes her glow. How her toes curled and her hips came back whenever he didn’t go deep enough to meet him. The way her ass is moving against his pelvis when he releases her neck and holds her down against the surface by her little waist is tantalizing.
Okoye puts one of her hands back behind her to press against his stomach, “Daddy, slow d- down! Oh, my god! That feels so good~! Ah!”
“Nah, we got all night, Ko…”
He had gotten so much stronger during their time apart. She had missed him so badly. And the way his testicles hit her clit just right and his big strong hands holding her hips made her feel so pretty…
“I love you so much, Koko… I’d do it again too. I’d do anything for you.” Attuma takes a moment to press himself against her hips and spread kisses over her shoulders while she shivered.
“Oh, Attuma…” Okoye said, whimpering when he pulled out of her to turn her around. “I love you too… I meant what I said, I’d wait for you for eternity.”
Slow kisses turned reunion sex into lovemaking. Attuma picked up his wife and carried her over to the bed, ready to worship her body like he’s longed to do.
Kisses on her stretch marks while she traced the lines of new tattoos. Some said her name and she knew he was hers. He was the only man for her.
They don’t leave the room for the next few hours and when they have to part again, Okoye cries. Regular visiting days are only a few hours away, on the weekend. But it wasn’t the same as holding him.
“See you later, honey…” His eyes are sad, and it’s breaking her heart.
Tearfully, Okoye watches him get placed in handcuffs again, placing kisses on his neck and face- whatever she can reach before he’s led into a van. “Bye, Tuma… I love you.”
Okoye brings his baby to visit when she is about six months, and they get the all clear from a judge. He is a violent offender after all.
Attuma gets to see his child through the glass at first but if he lays low in prison for long enough, he’s able to hold his daughter in brief contact visits.
She is bright and bubbly and resembles her father so much. Pictures of her decorate his walls and he is elated when she recognizes him from FaceTime Calls and Pictures of him. She lights up every time she sees her daddy, but there’s no possibility that she is more excited to see him than he is to see her.
His private visits with Okoye happen twice a month under the cover of the night. His family visits with her happen Every week on Saturday and Sunday. She’s always there. Sometimes she has his daughter, or someone joins her but Okoye is always there.
Holding it down and putting money on his books, ready to greet him with a smile and a hand against the glass or a hug and a kiss.
In a medium-security prison, information isn’t hard to come by or spread. So when the other inmates find out about his little wife and kids, they start to push him a bit more. No way he’ll hurt someone in prison and risk getting a longer sentence? Right? They were wrong; late at night after being tailed, two men attempt to overpower Attuma and assault him in the showers. They both promptly get their heads bashed in. Violently.
Covered in blood and barely clothed, Attuma is quickly apprehended by two guards, he’s unfazed by the memory of their lives draining from their skin. Attuma is put in solitary for two weeks, only being pulled out for a short trial where it’s ruled he was acting out of self-defense and he’s let off the hook. Thank God for Namor.
He has the best defense attorney in the country on his side with Namor working his case and no willing eyewitnesses to dispute his claims of self-preservation. All the while, Shuri is working hard to get his charges repealed or have him put on Parole.
The reasoning sticks and after serving three years, Attuma is released. When he’s told he very nearly shouts out loud with excitement. Soon he’ll be free of Door buzzers going off, the yelling of guards, and the need to look over his shoulder at all times. No more mildew or that god-forsaken cafeteria.
No more having to wait to kiss and hold the love of his life.
Everyone is there to greet him, commenting on how he’s gained muscle, how long his hair was now, or all the new tattoos he got. His cousin Namor welcomes him verbally with a handshake while Namora opts to get in a very tight hug which he returns tenfold.
And when his daughter sees him and recognizes him. Her eyes are big as saucers, and she steals the breath from his chest. She’s tiny and chubby and she’s running to him, and all he wanted to do was catch her. The emotion of their reunion is forever sealed as a perfect photograph in the souls of everyone there.
She jumps into his arms, sobbing into her father’s chest and holding him tight, and no one is giving them a time limit or reminder of “five minutes”. Her sobs are a painful tug on his heart, but all he can do is give her his everything now. Now that he’s able to love her without hindrance. He knows he’s free.
His daughter never knew a time when her father wasn’t in prison, he only prays he’ll be able to make up for the lost time.
Okoye is very liberal in greeting him, letting everyone else have their time with him before they all pile into the car to take him to see his mother and then bring her home. She knows she’ll have her time with him, and she knows these people have missed him just as much as she. But she had been there every weekend, never missed a day. Attuma was desperate to thank her for everything she did for him and she felt the same.
These last few years were hell on earth. With only the thought of his family keeping him afloat. Keeping him sane.
However as Attuma, got into the car with his wife and held his very clingy and talkative daughter with a tight hug, accepting all her sweet kisses, he smiled to himself.
He’d do it all again if he had to.
He didn’t regret it.